Method of manufacturing multiple-contact strips.



APPLICATION FILED AUG. I. 1917- I Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- msmo lh w'n for: John ll ewherry Reyna/d6.

J. N. REYNOLDS.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MULTIPLE CONTACT STRIPS.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. 1917- 1,287,101.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a/vn fl ewbrry 6 eynaldg. by

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN NEWBERRY REYNOLDS, OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK,

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MULTIPLE-CONTACT STRIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed August 1, 1917. Serial No. 183,999.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Join: Nnwnnnnx' REY- NOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenwich, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methtudinally extending bare conductors which are divided into sets, each wire being provided with a plurality of longitudinally separated contact surfaces, the different wires comprising a set having their contact surfaces longitudinally separated from each other, while the corresponding wires of separate sets have their ontact surfaces in the same line transversely of the strip.

The object of this invention in general is to provide for the manufacture, in an efficient and economical manner, of a type of multiple contact strip outlined in the foregoing paragraph.

The process of this invention consists in general in forming a web consisting of bare conductors with insulating strips inserted therebetween to displace portions of the conductors relative to the normal plane thereof and at 1011 itudinally separated positions. The web so fin-med is clamped upon a mounting plate previously prepared with insulating compound and the conductors arefanned out at one end of the mounting plate and bent back upon themselves to form connecting terminals. In the final step of the process, the mounting strip with the web thereon is heat treated or baked to set said web in the insulating compound.

In the drawings illustrating this invention, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are views illustrating the successive steps and apparatus entering into the process; and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of the finished product.

In the first step of the process of this invention a pluralltv of wires 7, 7, 8, 8 and 9, 9 (Fig. 1) are clamped at one end to a plate 10, over which the extend longitudinally and are laced un er tension by suitable means suc as weights 11, 11. The face of the plate 10 over which the wires 7, 7,

8, 8 and 9, 9 extend is provided between its ends with a plurality of equally spaced transversely extending depressions 12, 12. A presser roller 13 is provided on its face with a plurality of circumferentially arranged pro1ect1ons 14, 14 adapted as said roller 13 is, moved over the plate 10 to depress two out of each three wires into the depressions 12, 12 of said plate. The projections 14, 14 of the presser roller 13 are arranged in pairs, each pair having its projections circumferentlally separated from each other to such a distance that they engage the wires upon which they act, at points near opposite sides of the depression 12 to permit of the insertion of an insulatin strip 15, 16 Or 17, as the case. may be. T 1e insulating strips 15, 16 and 17 are each provided with notches 20, 20 in their edges adapted to be engaged by the undepressed portion of one of the conductors 7, .7, 8,. 8 or 9, 9. The notching of the several strips 15, 16 and 17 being such that when they are inserted between the wlres, the wires 7 7 will be in the notches of the strips 15, the wires 8, 8 in the notches of strips 16 and the wires 9, 9 in the notches of strips 17. For convenience these strips 15, 16 and 17 may be arranged in three piles in a magazine 21 and moved one by one into ahopper 22 by means of slides 23, 24 and 25. From the hopper 22 they may be separately inserted between the wires by means of a slide 26.

After the wires 7, 7, 8, 8 and 9, 9 have been stretched over the plate 10, the presser roller 13 is passed thereover from right to left. In its first position it will depress all of the wires 7, 7 and 9, 9 into the corresponding depression 12 in the plate 10 and an insulating strip 15 will be inserted between the relatively depressed wires. In the second position of the roller 13 all of the wires 7, 7 and 8, 8 will be depressed and an insulating strip 16inserted between the relatively dis laced wires, and in the third position,of tlie roller 13 all of the wires 8, 8 and9, 9 will be depressed, and an insulatin strip 17 will be inserted between the relatively displaced wires. In its fourth position the roller 13 will have made a complete revolution and the, operation above stated Will be continued until the web of wires and insulating strips'is of the length desired.

When the web has attained the desired length in the manner above described, a

metal strip 30 which has been previously lowered (Fig. 4) until the wires between it and the steel block 35 are parallel with eachother. A terminal forming steel block 36 (Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8) is then secured in place above the wires, and an insulat ng block 37 is set into place beneath the wires and beyond the position of the terminal forming steel block. The insulating block 37 is then carried over the terminal forming block 36 and into place, close up to the steel block 35 to loop the wires over the terminal forming block 36, the block 37 being invert. ed in the operation.

Clamping means comprising aclampmg plate 40 (Figs. 7 and 8) which is-placed over the insulating blOCii 37, and screw clamps 41 and 42 are applied to secure the mounting strip 30 and the block 37 together temporarily. With these parts clamped together the steel block 35 and the terminal forming block 36 are removed and the comb 32 is lowered until the wires are drawn in beyond the end of the formed strip into their normal positions. A clamping block 45 is next applied to the wires beyond the formed strip and the wires are cut at 46. The formed strip is then placed in the oven and baked for the required period of time. After having been baked to set the web in the insulating material, the strip may be removed from the oven and the wire stubs, which were left when the cut was made at 46. may be cut oil adjacent to the block 37.

While the process of this invention is shown and described in connection with a terminal strip' adapted for three conductor circuits, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates that the process of the invention may be applied to the manufacture of strips for circuits of any number of conductors.

What isclaimed is:

1. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact strip for multiple conductor circuits which consists in arranging a number of bare wires, constituting a plurality of sets' in the same plane. depressing all but oneof the wires of each set below the normal plane of the wires at successive posiwill tions along'the length of the wires and in such a manner that each wire of each set be depressed in consecutive positions less in number by one than there are wires in a set and undepressed in one position between its depressed positions, inserting insulating strips between the relatively displaced wires, and securing the web thus formed to a mounting plate.

2. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact strip for multiple conductor circuits which consists in arranging a number of bare wires, constituting a plurality of sets in the same plane, depressing all but one of the wires of each set below the normal plane of the wires at successive posi' tions along the length of the wires and in such a manner that each wire of each set Will be depressed in consecutive positions less in number by one than there are wires in a set and undepressed in one position between its depressed positions, the undepressed portions of corresponding conductors of the separate sets being in the same relative position transversely of theplane of the wires, inserting insulating strips between the. relatively successive position ing the web thus plate.

3. The process of manufacturin a multiple contact strip which consists 1n rigidly clamping a plurality of bare conductors at one end and placing said conductors under tension, displacing portions of said conductors relative to the common plane thereof, inserting insulating strips between said conductors at the displaced portions thereof, and securing the web so formed by the bare conductors and insulating strips to amounting plate.

4. The process of manufacturin a multiple contact stripwhich consists 1n rigidly clamping a plurality of bare conductors at one end and placing said conductors under tension, displacing portions of adjacent conductors'with respect to the common plane of the conductors in such manner that the undisplaced portions of difierent'conductors occur at positions longitudinally separated from each other, inserting insulating strips between said conductors to maintain the displacement of said displaced portions, andseicuring the web so formed to a mounting p ate.

5. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact strip which consists in rigidly clamping a plurality of bare conductors at one end, placing said conductors under tension, displacing portions of said conductors, inserting insulating strips between said conductors at the displaced portions, securing the web so formed to a mounting plate, fanning out the conductors of the web at one end thereof, and bending them back upon themselves to form terminals.

6. The process of manufacturing a multi ple contact strip which consists in rigidly displaced wires at each of depression, and secur-' formed to a mountlng one end, placin Jacent conductors clamping aplurality of bare conductors at one end, placing said conductors under tension, inserting insulating strips between adjacent conductors to maintain them, displaced relative to the same plane, clamping the web comprising the bare conductors and insulatin strips to a mounting strip prepared w1th insulating compound, forming terminals in the conductors at one end of said web, and heat treating the web and plate to set said web in said insulating compound.

7. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact strip which consists in rigidly clamping a plurality of bare conductors at said conductors under tension, inserting lnsulating strips between adto maintain them displaced relative to the same plane, clamping the web thus formed to a mounting plate prepared with insulating compound, fanning out the wires at one end of the web, and bending them back upon themselves to form terminals, and heat treating said mounting plate and web to set said web in said insulating compound.

8. The'process of manufacturing a multiple contact terminal strip for three-wire circuits which consists in arranging a plurali-ty of bare wires in the same plane, depressing two out of each three wires below the level of a third at successive positions along the length of the wires in such a manner that each wire of each three will be depressed in two consecutive positions and undepressed in a third position, inserting insulating strips between the depressed and undepressed conductors to maintain them in their relatively displaced positions, and securing the web thus formed by the insulating strips and bare conductors to a mounting plate.

9. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact terminal strip for three-wire circuits which consists in arranging a plurality of bare wires, equal to some multiple of three, in the same plane, depressing two wires of each set of three below the level of the third at successive positions along the length of the wires in such a manner that each wire of each three will be depressed in two consecutive positions and undepressed in a third position, corresponding wires of each set of three being undepressed in the same relative positions transversely of the plane of the wires, inserting an strip between relatively displaced wires at the consecutive points of depression, and securing the web of insulating strips and bare wires to a mounting plate.

1.0. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact member which consists in arranging a plurality ofbare conductors in a plane, displacing portions of said conductors with respect to said plane, inserting insulating members between said conductors to maintain them displaced, and securing the structure thus formed to a mounting plate.

11. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact member which consists in securing a plurality of bare conductors at one end, disposing each of said conductors to form contact portions at successive positions along the length thereof, inserting insulating members between said conductors, securing the structure thus formed to a mounting plate prepared with insulating material, and heat treating said mountin plate and structure to set said structure 1n said insulating materiah 12. The process of manufacturing a contact member which consists in arranging a plurality of bare conductors in a plane, placing said conductors under tension, displacing said conductors with respect to the common plane thereof at successive positions along their length, inserting insulating members between said conductors to maintain the same in displaced position, and securing the structure thus formed to a mounting late. p 13. The process of manufacturing a multiple contact strip which consists in arranginsulating ing a plurality of bare conductors constituting a plurality of sets in a plane, displacing portions of said conductors relative to the normal plane thereof andin such a manner that the undisplaced portions of conductors of the same set occur at positions separated longitudinally of the plane of the conductors and the undisplaced por-- 

